Airport · HNL · Honolulu, Hawaii

Honolulu, HI

Honolulu, HI posts above-median on-time performance among the 382 tracked U.S. airports, as a high-volume U.S. airport. According to the U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, drawn from 631,778 flights (2020–2025); its biggest delay driver is carrier.

Compiled by PlainFlights Editorial, Flight Performance Editorial Team

Data updated 2026-06-13

84.6%
On-time: Top 37%
on-time, US airports: 62 min
Delay when late: 0.63%
Cancelled

Key Performance Metrics

Total Flights

631,778

Best Month

Sep 95.5%

Worst Month

Dec 91%

Delayed

97,030

Cancelled

4,006

60-65%

1
65-70%

4
70-75%

9
75-80%

48
80-85%

192
85-90%

116
90-95%

12

What this shows HNL is marked in the 80-85% band.

Delay Cause Breakdown

Top delay cause: Carrier. Total delay minutes: 2,348,183.

Late Aircraft 37.3% (876,863 min)

Carrier 53.5% (1,256,898 min)

NAS (National Aviation System) 7.0% (163,473 min)

Weather 1.6% (38,590 min)

Security 0.5% (12,359 min)

Seasonal Performance Patterns

Monthly averages across all years of data. Best month: September (95.5% on-time). Most delays: December (91% on-time).

Month	Avg Flights	Avg Delayed	Avg Cancelled	On-Time %
December	9,402	1,879	71	91%
November	8,675	1,153	30	94.1%
October	8,729	1,357	84	92.9%
September	8,284	813	18	95.5%
August	9,187	1,295	60	93.4%
July	9,401	1,506	48	92.2%
June	8,656	1,388	23	92.3%
May	8,304	1,280	41	92.7%
April	8,105	1,371	91	92.2%
March	9,380	1,540	102	92.5%
February	8,163	1,104	26	93.7%
January	9,012	1,486	73	92.4%

Year-Over-Year Performance

Annual flight volume and on-time trends at HNL.

Year	Flights	Delayed	Cancelled	On-Time %
2025	117,757	7,469	459	93.7%
2024	123,106	8,380	588	93.2%
2023	123,559	11,660	620	90.6%
2022	110,427	10,865	509	90.2%
2021	95,248	4,841	342	94.9%
2020	61,681	1,822	1,488	97%

Cancellation & Diversion Analysis

Flight disruption statistics for Honolulu, HI.

Cancellation Rate

0.63%

4,006 of 631,778 flights

Diversion Rate

0.06%

365 of 631,778 flights

Delay Rate

15.4%

97,030 of 631,778 flights

Monthly Performance

Recent 24 months of flight data.

Period	Flights	Dep Delayed	Arr Delayed	Cancelled	Diverted
Dec 2025	10,109	1,073	1,227	34	6
Nov 2025	9,244	526	650	76	8
Oct 2025	9,363	585	729	25	10
Sep 2025	8,964	401	539	11	6
Aug 2025	9,841	539	681	11	2
Jul 2025	10,357	793	1,006	63	5
Jun 2025	9,941	634	896	14	3
May 2025	9,866	485	539	18	2
Apr 2025	9,697	590	677	33	6
Mar 2025	10,771	713	789	65	6
Feb 2025	9,275	556	760	15	3
Jan 2025	10,329	574	581	94	11
Dec 2024	10,553	714	776	25	10
Nov 2024	9,839	441	503	14	4
Oct 2024	9,962	591	659	47	8
Sep 2024	9,688	395	487	22	2
Aug 2024	10,543	606	731	60	6
Jul 2024	10,989	843	794	51	8
Jun 2024	10,436	722	791	27	3
May 2024	10,462	811	973	89	5
Apr 2024	10,208	656	708	50	5
Mar 2024	10,529	598	643	24	12
Feb 2024	9,557	813	997	35	8
Jan 2024	10,340	1,190	1,548	144	4

Top Routes from HNL

Busiest routes to and from Honolulu, HI.

Route	Flights	On-Time	Distance
HNL (Honolulu) → OGG (Kahului)	60,102	86.7%	100 mi
OGG (Kahului) → HNL (Honolulu)	60,101	84.7%	100 mi
HNL (Honolulu) → LIH (Lihue)	42,503	87.2%	102 mi
LIH (Lihue) → HNL (Honolulu)	42,502	86%	102 mi
KOA (Kona) → HNL (Honolulu)	41,340	86.9%	163 mi
HNL (Honolulu) → KOA (Kona)	41,330	87.8%	163 mi
ITO (Hilo) → HNL (Honolulu)	33,567	88.1%	216 mi
HNL (Honolulu) → ITO (Hilo)	33,561	87%	216 mi
LAX (Los Angeles) → HNL (Honolulu)	29,961	82.2%	2,556 mi
HNL (Honolulu) → LAX (Los Angeles)	29,892	85%	2,556 mi
HNL (Honolulu) → SEA (Seattle)	14,557	79.9%	2,677 mi
SEA (Seattle) → HNL (Honolulu)	14,550	76.3%	2,677 mi
SFO (San Francisco) → HNL (Honolulu)	13,309	81.1%	2,398 mi
HNL (Honolulu) → SFO (San Francisco)	13,308	83.6%	2,398 mi
LAS (Las Vegas) → HNL (Honolulu)	8,092	75.4%	2,762 mi
HNL (Honolulu) → LAS (Las Vegas)	8,087	84%	2,762 mi
HNL (Honolulu) → SAN (San Diego)	7,924	81%	2,614 mi
SAN (San Diego) → HNL (Honolulu)	7,916	76.5%	2,614 mi
HNL (Honolulu) → PHX (Phoenix)	6,941	85.8%	2,917 mi
PHX (Phoenix) → HNL (Honolulu)	6,936	82.3%	2,917 mi

Airports With a Similar On-Time Rate

Other U.S. airports nationwide whose on-time rate is closest to Honolulu, HI's 84.6%.

Greensboro/High Point, NC

84.6% on-time 116,389 flights

Sault Ste. Marie, MI

84.6% on-time 8,922 flights

Hays, KS

84.6% on-time 8,353 flights

Elmira/Corning, NY

84.5% on-time 13,181 flights

Lawton/Fort Sill, OK

84.5% on-time 12,720 flights

Decatur, IL

84.5% on-time 9,084 flights

Other Airports in Hawaii

Compare performance with other Hawaii airports.

OGG 84.7%

Kahului, HI

Kahului · 304,696 flights

KOA 86.3%

Kona, HI

Kona · 177,017 flights

LIH 86.7%

Lihue, HI

Lihue · 162,570 flights

ITO 88.2%

Hilo, HI

Hilo · 72,372 flights

Keep exploring

More flight data around Honolulu, HI.

Hawaii flight data

Statewide on-time and delay aggregates, plus every reporting airport in Hawaii.

View HI data →

Airport rankings

See where HNL sits among U.S. airports on on-time rate and average delay.

Best on-time airports →

Compare airports

Put HNL head-to-head with another airport on delays and reliability.

Open comparison tool →

What the Data Says About HNL

Honolulu, HI in Honolulu, Hawaii handled 631,778 flights in the Bureau of Transportation Statistics dataset between 2020 and 2025, posting a 84.6% on-time departure rate. Of those flights, 97,030 experienced delays, 4,006 were cancelled, and 365 were diverted. The cancellation rate works out to 0.63%, the diversion rate to 0.06%, and the average delay when departures run late is 62.1 minutes. These figures are the baseline for comparing HNL against other airports in the same state and nationally.

Breaking down what drives delays at HNL, Carrier leads the pack. Carrier accounts for 53.5% of total delay minutes, followed by Late Aircraft at 37.3% and NAS (National Aviation System) at 7.0%. Weather contributes 1.6% of delay minutes at this airport, while security holds the smallest share at 0.5%. Travelers often overestimate the weather share; the BTS categorization shows late-arriving aircraft and carrier operations as the larger contributors.

Seasonally, September runs the cleanest at HNL with a 95.5% on-time rate, while December is the roughest at 91% - a 5-point swing between best and worst month. Volume peaks in December, when average flights hit 9,402. The busiest route connecting HNL is to OGG (Kahului), with 60,102 flights at a 86.7% on-time rate. Combine these numbers - 84.6% on-time, 62.1-minute average delay, 0.63% cancellation rate, and you have a concrete picture of departure reliability at Honolulu, HI.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the on-time performance rate at Honolulu, HI (HNL)? ▼

Honolulu, HI has an overall on-time departure rate of 84.6%. Out of 631,778 total flights tracked, 97,030 experienced delays and 4,006 were cancelled.

What is the most common cause of delays at HNL? ▼

The top delay cause at Honolulu, HI is Carrier. Carrier accounts for 53.5% of all delay minutes.

What is the average delay time at HNL? ▼

The average delay at Honolulu, HI is 62.1 minutes. This includes delays from carrier issues, weather, National Aviation System constraints, security, and late-arriving aircraft.

What is the best month to fly from HNL? ▼

Based on historical data, September has the best on-time performance at HNL with 95.5% of flights departing on time.

What is the worst month for delays at HNL? ▼

December tends to have the most delays at HNL, with an on-time rate of only 91%.

How many routes operate from HNL? ▼

Honolulu, HI serves at least 20 routes. The busiest route is HNL to OGG (Honolulu - Kahului) with 60,102 flights.

What is the cancellation rate at HNL? ▼

Honolulu, HI has a cancellation rate of 0.63%, based on 4,006 cancelled flights out of 631,778 total flights tracked.

Flight Guides

Data-driven guides to help you understand airport and flight performance.

Best & Worst Airlines for On-Time Performance

Which carriers consistently outperform peers

Why Flights Get Cancelled

Cancellation causes broken down by data

How to Choose Reliable Flight Routes

Use delay data to pick flights that arrive on time

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Data Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), On-Time Performance Data (2020–2025). Statistics reflect cumulative performance across all available reporting periods. On-time rates exclude cancelled and diverted flights.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Using HNL's data

An airport-level on-time rate is a starting point, not a guarantee for your specific flight.

Check the busiest route from HNL before you book a connection. See top routes
Travel in September rather than December if your dates are flexible. Seasonal patterns
Scores vary by airline and route within the same airport; check the specific carrier you're flying. Browse airlines

On-time rate reflects the BTS historical average across all reporting carriers at this airport, not any single flight or airline.

All airports → | Rankings →

Data sourced from U.S. Department of Transportation Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) On-Time Performance data. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainFlights Editorial

Source: U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) Airline on-time performance and operational reliability · 2025 Accessed 2026-07-23

Every figure on PlainFlights is rendered directly from BTS On-Time Performance data, no number is typed in by an editor. Airport figures are computed directly from BTS On-Time Performance data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.